Beyond Sport Awards 2011 Shortlist Announced

Beyond Sport has announced the shortlist for the Beyond Sport Awards 2011, with the 35 projects that have made the final cut covering activities in 18 countries.

Each project will receive an invitation to attend the third annual Beyond Sport Summit, taking place from December 5-8 in Cape Town, South Africa, later this year. Beyond Sport is a global organisation that promotes, develops and supports the use of sport to drive positive social change.

The Awards winners, to be selected by the panel of Beyond Sport Ambassadors, will be announced on the final two days of the Summit, with the successful projects in the Beyond Sport Community Awards categories receiving a substantial package of business support to help them grow. The shortlisted projects were chosen from close to 400 entries from more than 125 countries that submitted applications to this year’s Awards.

Award categories include the Best New Project, Sport for Social Inclusion, Sport for Conflict Resolution, UNICEF Sport for Education, Sport for Health, Sport for the Environment, Corporate of the Year, Sport Federation or Governing Body of the Year and Sport Team of the Year.

Glitch Forces London 2012 Ticket Application Extension

The deadline to apply for tickets for the London 2012 Olympics has now closed after being extended by over an hour last night after the website was overwhelmed due to a late surge in applications.

When the official Ticketmaster site failed to cope with the last minute demand before the midnight deadline, unhealthy potential customers who had pre-registered to buy tickets faced long delays to complete their transactions.

As the website suffered problems for about 20 minutes from 22:30, ed London 2012 were forced to respond quickly by extending the deadline by one hour to 01:00 (GMT).

In spite of the late glitch in the system, the deadline has now closed for the 6.6 million tickets after a six-week window for applications and a London 2012 spokesman told the Daily Telegraph last night: “Some people experienced temporary delay in accessing the Olympic ticketing site following a surge of applications around 22:30 this evening.

“This surge has now evened out and the system is working normally. Applications were still being processed during this period. We apologise for any inconvenience this delay may have caused and the ticketing system will remain open until 01:00.”

A LOCOG spokesman said the organisation would “attempt on more than one occasion” to get funds from any rejected Visa card accounts, confirming that people without sufficient funds in their bank accounts to pay for tickets will not have their orders cancelled immediately.

Glitch Forces London 2012 Ticket Application Extension

The deadline to apply for tickets for the London 2012 Olympics has now closed after being extended by over an hour last night after the website was overwhelmed due to a late surge in applications.

When the official Ticketmaster site failed to cope with the last minute demand before the midnight deadline, unhealthy potential customers who had pre-registered to buy tickets faced long delays to complete their transactions.

As the website suffered problems for about 20 minutes from 22:30, ed London 2012 were forced to respond quickly by extending the deadline by one hour to 01:00 (GMT).

In spite of the late glitch in the system, the deadline has now closed for the 6.6 million tickets after a six-week window for applications and a London 2012 spokesman told the Daily Telegraph last night: “Some people experienced temporary delay in accessing the Olympic ticketing site following a surge of applications around 22:30 this evening.

“This surge has now evened out and the system is working normally. Applications were still being processed during this period. We apologise for any inconvenience this delay may have caused and the ticketing system will remain open until 01:00.”

A LOCOG spokesman said the organisation would “attempt on more than one occasion” to get funds from any rejected Visa card accounts, confirming that people without sufficient funds in their bank accounts to pay for tickets will not have their orders cancelled immediately.

West Ham United Agree Mondogoal Partnership

Fantasy soccer platform Mondogoal has announced a partnership with West Ham United FC.

West Ham joins fellow Premier League clubs Manchester City F.C., and Liverpool F.C., as well as Italian Serie A side A.S. Roma as team partners promoting Mondogoal’s club-branded version to its fans around the world.

Mondogoal is the only daily fantasy soccer site available for cash play in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada, and offers free play worldwide.  

“We are excited to add one of England’s most historic teams, West Ham United, to our roster of clubs in partnership with Mondogoal,” says Mondogoal CEO & Founder, Shergul Arshad.  “West Ham has embraced the true Mondogoal experience and is excited to take this to its passionate fans in ways that we think will be creative and ground breaking.”

Felicity Croft, Head of Commercial for West Ham United F.C., states: “Gaming has been an extremely popular category for West Ham fans and we believe this innovative platform that combines the fun of fantasy football with a daily format for free or cash play will catch on with our fans.  We also believe that with the upcoming move to the Olympic Stadium, Mondogoal will be a perfect partner to be showcased at the Boleyn Ground and our future new home.”

Williams Grand Prix Appoints Alan Kinch as New Chief Financial Officer

Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC have announced today that Alan Kinch will be joining the company in the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on 1st December 2014, replacing outgoing Finance Director Louise Evans. 

Alan joins Williams from Vodafone Group Enterprise where he has been Finance Director since April 2013. His previous roles include eight years at Cable & Wireless Worldwide PLC where he spent three years as Group Financial Controller. Alan will be responsible for all aspects of operational and structural finance for the Williams Group and will join the company’s Board of Directors. 

Current Finance Director Louise Evans will be departing Williams at the end of November 2014 in order to pursue new challenges. Louise joined Williams in 2004 and was appointed Head of Finance in 2005 and subsequently Finance Director in 2011.

Speaking about her departure Louise said; “I have thoroughly enjoyed my ten years at Williams and it has been a privilege to be part of historic milestones for a Formula One team such as our diversification into new business areas and our IPO in 2011. The Group is making good progress towards its objective of reinvigorating our Formula One performance, exemplified by a very positive 2014 season, so this feels like the right time to hand over the reins as I seek new challenges in my career. I wish Alan the best of luck in his new role.” 

Sir Frank Williams, Founder and Team Principal, said; “Louise Evans has given Williams great service over the past decade and she has been a central figure in the expansion of the business. She will be missed personally and professionally and I wish her the very best of luck for the future.” 

Speaking about his appointment as CFO Alan Kinch said; “I am very excited to be joining Williams at this point in its journey. It is a privilege to be part of a company with such an illustrious history and I firmly believe that Williams has a bright future ahead, not only on the track but also in the development of the Williams Advanced Engineering business.  I look forward to working closely with Mike and the rest of the Board to ensure the company fulfils its potential.”

South Dakota Beats Out Mexico City to Host Archery’s 2015 World Youth Championships

The NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Centre was unanimously awarded the right to host the 2015 World Youth Championships by World Archery’s Executive Board in May.

The bid, buy submitted by the National Field Archery Association Foundation, physician met all the Executive Board’s stringent criteria, designed to select the most suitable host for a World Archery Youth Championships.

The South Dakota-situated venue impressed the group enough that they voted unanimously in favour of the NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Centre as hosts of the 2015 event, to run from 8-14 June. Mexico City was among the other locations considered.

An estimated 600 competitors from 60 countries are expected at the event, supported by a similar number of team management and family. The tournament schedule will include an official practice period, three days of qualification and eliminations – and two days of spectator finals.

The NFAA Easton Archery Centre in Yankton was one of the first Easton Centres to be built, and is a Partner centre of the Easton Foundation as well as home to the National Field Archery Association headquarters.

National Field Archery Association President Mr Bruce Cull said: “As the home of the NFAA, Yankton is a centrepiece for archery in the United States. By bringing the young generation of international archers to the Centre, we not only have the chance to give them a great event but display our world-class venue and City to competitors from around the globe.”

World Archery Secretary General Mr Tom Dielensaid: “Yankton 2015 is the next in a series of World Archery events we’ve successfully partnered with the National Field Archery Association Foundation board and staff to deliver. Bruce CULL and his team stage the popular and growing final of the Indoor Archery World Cup at their Las Vegas Shoot, and held the 2012 World Archery Indoor Championships in the same city. I’m wholly confident that these 2015 youth championships will run to the same high level, in one of the most impressive archery facilities in the world.”

2.3 Million Tickets Made Available for Rugby World Cup 2015

Rugby World Cup 2015 organisers have revealed around 2.3 million tickets will be available for the tournament in England.

Tickets for some matches will start from as little as £15 for adults and £7 for children, herbal with the event scheduled to begin on Friday 18 September 2015 at Twickenham. 

Forty one of the 48 games will have child tickets at £7. In contrast, the top-price ticket at the final will cost £715.

The first lot of around 500,000 tickets will be distributed through clubs affiliated to the RFU in May 2014 and will include those for the final.

The general sale launch begins in September, with a ballot system in place for oversubscribed matches.

Any unsold tickets will then be made available through Ticketmaster from December.

The two semi-finals will be staged at Twickenham over the weekend of 24 and 25 October, both starting at 5pm.

The 48th and final contest of the tournament also takes place at the historic west London venue on Saturday 31 October at the same time.

“Our key priority is ensuring we give the teams a balanced and equitable schedule which we believe we have achieved,” said England 2015 chief executive Debbie Jevans.

“We have consulted with all our transport providers, our venues and host cities and we feel that we have put together a schedule that takes into account all of the needs of our stakeholders.

“Now that fans have the final piece of the jigsaw, they can start to plan their tournament, be it in stadia or watching from home, and make this a truly memorable celebration of rugby.”

IRB Chief Executive Brett Gosper added: “This announcement represents a fantastic opportunity for fans around the world to experience what promises to be a very special Rugby World Cup. It is the day that they can start to plan. There are affordable and accessible options to suit every need.”

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Bulova Unveils New Marketing Campaign for Manchester United Partnership

Watch manufacturer Bulova have activated their partnership with Manchester United by launching a new global marketing campaign around the Premier League champions.

Bulova was named as the club’s Official Timekeeper and Global Partner earlier this year.

The multi-million dollar integrated campaign, prostate rolling out now in Asia, medic Europe, North America, South America and Australia, features a high-impact mix of global television and radio spots, as well as digital, out of home, point-of-sale and print ads in key lifestyle, sports and men’s books. Print advertising will highlight current Manchester United players such as Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa and Javier Hernandez, to run in international publications now and throughout 2014.

“Bulova’s partnership with Manchester United is a tremendous opportunity to grow our brand internationally,” said Eric Hofmann, VP of Marketing, Bulova Corporation. “When searching for a partner that truly resonated on a global scale, we recognized Manchester United as a perfect fit, and anticipate that consumers will be just as excited as we are to see us come together to celebrate precision, innovation and craftsmanship, all driving principles for both brands.”

The campaign includes a robust online presence and social media strategy along with targeted public relations efforts. These marketing endeavors complement the appearance of retired Manchester United legends at select consumer and trade events, such as Baselworld in March 2014, as well as Bulova branding on the club’s scoreboards at Old Trafford stadium, on the stadium’s digital advertising boards during all Premier League home matches and via daily commercials on Manchester United Television (MUTV).

As part of the campaign, Bulova will gift all Manchester United players and coaches with custom co-branded and engraved timepieces in 2014. 

MotoGP Begins with a Bang with New Audience Surge

The opening race of the 2013 MotoGP season saw major audiences figures for a number of broadcasts.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo won the race in Qatar, capsule followed by teammate Valentino Rossi and Repsol Honda Team rookie Marc Márquez.

Spanish TV saw its Tele5 broadcast increase by a whopping 44.6% over last year’s audience for the race with 4.5 million viewers, with a peak of 5.2 million, taking a 25.2% of the country’s audience share. Meanwhile, Italian television, bolstered by the highly anticipated return of Valentino Rossi on his beloved Yamaha M1, saw audiences go up to 5.28 million – peaking up to 6.63 million – for the race under the floodlights with a 17.5% broadcast share.

Cal Crutchlow’s early pre-season form looked to have triggered a humungous increase in British audiences, as nearly 75% more people tuned in over the previous year, with 1.7 million viewers witnessing the action, during which figures peaked at 2 million. Germany turned up in force once again as well, as 410,000 MotoGP fans saw their local hero Stefan Bradl unfortunately crash out after the tough battle with nine-time world champion Rossi.

In addition to the regular TV broadcast, the MotoGP season-opener was also available on over 40 planes featuring Sport24, the 24/7 live sports channel produced and distributed by IMG Media exclusively for the in-flight and in-ship markets, bringing MotoGP Live coverage to selected flights operated by Gulf Air, Lufthansa, Emirates & Turkish Airlines.

Dunes Golf Club & Grande Dunes Resort Club to Host 2014 PGA Professional National Championship

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club of Myrtle Beach, S.C., the historic jewel among the famed 60-mile “Grand Strand” in the Palmetto State, will be joined by the popular Grande Dunes Resort Club as co-hosts of the 47th PGA Professional National Championship presented by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and OMEGA, June 22-25, 2014.

It marks the second visit to South Carolina by The PGA of America’s showcase event for PGA Professionals.

The Championship will bring a field of 312 to Myrtle Beach, acclaimed as “the Golf Capital of the World” for its roster of 120 golf courses. The PGA Professional National Championship was last conducted in South Carolina in 2005 at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island.

“The PGA of America is very proud to be taking our National Championship in 2014 to Myrtle Beach, a resort destination that has embraced the game of golf unlike few other sites in the world,” said PGA of America President Ted Bishop. “The Dunes Golf & Beach Club and Grande Dunes are outstanding venues to test our best-playing PGA Professionals. When you think about the history of golf in Myrtle Beach and how many members of our Association made an impact upon that region, you could not ask for a better setting for this Championship.”

Designed in 1948 by legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr., the Dunes Golf & Beach Club will serve as the primary host course in the National Championship, including the final 36 holes. All contestants will compete the first two rounds on The Dunes and Grande Dunes Resort Club.

The site of the Senior Tour Championship from 1994-1999, The Dunes also has hosted the final stage of the 1973 PGA Tour Qualifying School that yielded such golfers as Ben Crenshaw, Gary McCord and Gil Morgan.

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club is ranked among “America’s Greatest 100 Public Courses” by Golf Digest and Golfweek, and Golf Digest’s“Best in State.” It is listed by GOLF Magazine among “The Best You Can Play” 100 courses in the U.S. The par-72 Dunes Golf & Beach Club extends to 7,195 yards and the only layout in Myrtle Beach with ocean views. Prior to the 2014 National Championship, Rees Jones, son of the late Robert Trent Jones Sr., will lead renovations that include converting green surfaces from bentgrass to Champion Bermudagrass, and modifying tees and bunkers.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome the country’s most skilled club professionals for their most prestigious annual event,” said Dunes Club PGA head professional Dennis Nicholl. “We have been fortunate to host a number of high-level professional and amateur golf tournaments in the past and are excited to serve The PGA of America.”